Glasstek or VFN 4" cowl hood

[chromemoly4130]

I have decided to get a 4" cowl hood but having difficulties on deciding from which company to purchase from. I have been doing many searches and find that its 50/50, one person loves and another says its a piece of sh*te....... I had spoke with the rep from VFN which ensured me that their hoods are far superior but what else was he going to tell me? that they fit poorly and usually break or crack after a few months of use....lol
I am going with a pin on and its going on my 86' Regal, I have the rep from GlassTek trying to get in touch with me but were never around the phone at the same time..........
SO, I was hoping someone could let me know of their experiences with either of these companies and what the hoods fit like, I understand that I will have to modify it a little to get it to fit and do some trimming but I had just received my new CarCraft mag and the featured car it it looked like its fiberglass cowl hood was missing a few inches from the backside where it contacts the drain vents by the wipers, I dont want this.
Oh and whats a good company that make hood pins, saw these fellas autofab and I also saw a set of hood pins somewhere that had springs over the pins and the hood rode on the springs to help keep it in place, anyone seen or know who makes these?
Thanks

 

[Ohlly88SS]

I have a bolt on 2in VFN and it fits like crap, Ive never had a glasstek on a g body but Ive put 2 or 3 on other cars & they are not as bad but any glass hood will need some work to fit & look perfect. I think VFNs are lighter if your concerned about that.

 

[496kid]

glasstek for sure.my vfn sags in the middle.

 

[87montecarlomrc]

I have a harwood lift off and I like it, it fits really good with almost no trimming and doesn't sag or have any cracks yet, it's about 3years old,

 

[chromemoly4130]

Well, I ordered the GlassteK hood, I saw that they made a 5" for the Malibu so I asked about getting a 5" for the Regal but the 5" one for a Regal is a custom piece and would cost over $600 to have it made as to where the one for the Malibu is one they already have a shell for and only costs the $320~ Needless to say I went with their 4" lol.
Funny thing about Harwood, 2 places I contacted ( SUMMIT RACING and local place) that dealt Harwood couldnt find one for the Regal, I would have rather dealt locally so I wouldnt have to pay that REDICIOULSEY Over price Shipping charge of $175
.........Thanks EXXON, BP and other TEXAS Tea dealers.....seriosley.......WTF $175 shipping,......oh well I really wanted it so I payed it. I will post some pics when I get it.....
Can anyone recommend a good set of hood pins? I would like to have a good set that will help protect the glass hood and help prevent cracking, dont say Hotchkis because Im not insane with CA$H

 

[496kid]

use dzus fasteners.i had pins in my before,and it almost flew off.

 

[chromemoly4130]

Here's the pics

I haven't had a chance to try and get it completely out of the box for a test fit as it has not stopped raining long enough to let me. I actually ordered the hood from the discount place called Tamraz's that sell the GlassTek hoods. The manager there told me that they buy the hoods from GlassTek at a discounted price so they can sell them cheaper and stated that they are not blemished or factory defects BUT when I got the hood everything looks good except this chip in the front, I dont really have experience with fiberglass parts so I just have to go by what they tell me over the phone which is that their isnt such a thing as a perfect fiberglass part........which this could be true but it was over $400 for this and I just assumed it would be perfect but again I have no fiberglass experience so maybe I was expecting too much by thinking perfect. Here is a pic of the chip, its not huge but its clearly noticeable from 6'

Now, he did tell me that this is just a 5 min fix, but what would be the easiest way to fill or patch this? A little bit of Bondo or does it require some fiberglass matt and resin? I have no past dealings with fiberglass so this is all new to me. I have used the Bondo Glass but that $hit suck A$$ to work with lol

 

[swaggasaur]

Small fix. Just lots of sanding!

 

[Qdub24]

Thanks to everyone for the good info in this thread. I'm ordering the 4" cowl induction hood for my Cutlass from Tamraz next month. How long did it take for you to receive your hood after you ordered it? Did you buy it via eBay?

 

[FastGuyTim]

I have purchased glass hoods & front end from multiple places. I have never scene a perfect piece, most will need a little work.